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Ordinary Human Failings: A Novel

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Description

When a 10-year-old child is suspected of a violent crime, her family must face the truth about their past in this haunting, propulsive, psychologically keen story about class, trauma, and family secrets from “huge literary talent” (Karl Ove Knausgaard). FINALIST FOR THE FALLON BOOK CLUB SELECTION It's 1990 in London and Tom Hargreaves has it all: a burgeoning career as a reporter, fierce ambition and a brisk disregard for the "peasants" -- ordinary people, his readers, easy tabloid fodder. His star seems set to rise when he stumbles across a sensational scoop: a dead child on a London estate, grieving parents beloved across the neighborhood, and the finger of suspicion pointing at one reclusive family of Irish immigrants and “bad apples”: the Greens. At their heart sits Carmel: beautiful, otherworldly, broken, and once destined for a future beyond her circumstances until life - and love - got in her way. Crushed by failure and surrounded by disappointment, there's nowhere for her to go and no chance of escape. Now, with the police closing in on a suspect and the tabloids hunting their monster, she must confront the secrets and silences that have trapped her family for so many generations. Read more Read less

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (February 6, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316567787


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 87


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.85 x 0.75 x 9.15 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #69,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1,827 in Family Life Fiction (Books) #2,035 in Murder Thrillers #5,349 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#1,827 in Family Life Fiction (Books):


#2,035 in Murder Thrillers:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • 3.5
So, this book interprets the complicity of human life during moments of vulnerability when a reporter tries to find a story and finds one heartbreaking where murder is involved. The book has depth and a vision of the world of how it's not easy to be young and need to grow up fast, and it is not as easy as it seems. The discovery of needing to grow up fast with complications and consequences. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024 by Mirian Enid Camacho
    • One family doing the best they can
This was one of my favorites all year. First, the title: Ordinary Human Failings. Such a beautiful way to temper the exaggerated, tragic way we frame things. The book itself moves from a description of one family's tragedies to their respective contexts by exploring the histories of each family member. Through this process, the reader understands the "ordinariness" of their experiences, that this is not fate or justice but rather a group of people fumbling through normal difficulties without much support. Nolan sketches the inner lives of her characters in way that is emotionally precise. The action largely comes from the predation that is invited by their circumstances. The ending is beautifully done and does feel like justice for this small family doing the best they can. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024 by Katherine Herrera
    • Raw exploration of trauma
3.5 ⭐️ When a 10-year-old named Lucy is arrested for allegedly murdering a toddler, a reporter sees this as an opportunity to get the inside scoop on an outcast Irish family that mysteriously moved to London around the time Lucy was born. “Ordinary Human Failings” explores the traumas, complexities, and secrets of the Green family, centering around Carmel (who had Lucy when she was in her teens), Carmel’s older brother Ritchie (a struggling alcoholic), and their father John (a recent widower consumed with grief), as well as focusing on Tom Hargreaves (the reporter). “Ordinary Human Failings” is excellently written, but abundantly sad. It’s certainly not a light read, but is told in such a raw manner that I think it could resonate with a wide audience. I would caution readers to look up potential trigger warnings prior to reading (alcoholism, attempted abortion, PPD, depression). I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narrator (Jessica Regan) did a wonderful job—it was probably one of the best narrations of an audiobook I’ve listened to! Thank you to #NetGalley and #LittleBrown&Company for the ARC! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024 by Bookwhispererem
    • Not sure about this
Not saying anything negative more of a me problem, just didn’t relate to the characters and their struggles. Well written
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024 by Connie K.
    • Enjoyable read
I found this book to be an enjoyable read, telling the life of a family. The ups and downs for the family were well scripted throughout this brief novel. This is a book which I would recommend to others.
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024 by steven zak
    • Another Great Irish Author/Story
(𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 #𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥.) Let’s talk about the power of format and why audiobooks enrich my reading life. I started 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 by Megan Nolan in print. I liked it well enough, but was having a hard time feeling much connection with the characters. I was lucky enough to also have a copy of the audiobook, so at about 30% decided to switch formats. For me with this particular book, that made all the difference. From the moment I let narrator Jessica Regan take over, I was hooked. That doesn’t always happen when I switch it up, but it happens a lot. So, think about making a change in formats when a book isn’t working as well as you’d like. Now, I’ll get off my soapbox!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ This is the story of an Irish family who’ve been living in London for about 10 years. As the story begins a 3-year old girl has been found dead near their apartment and 10-year old Lucy becomes a person of interest. Using this setup together with a very sketchy tabloid reporter, we come to know Lucy, her mom, uncle and grandfather. None have lived easy lives. Sadly, Lucy has suffered the most from their collective lack of direction and tenderness. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That’s all you need to know other than it’s a somber, but touching story coming to us from one of the wonderful 🇮🇪Irish authors we’ve been loving these last few years. This is Nolan’s sophomore novel. Her first, 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, was compared to Sally Rooney which I definitely saw. With 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, I’d say Louise Kennedy or Karl Geary would be more fitting comparisons, though Nolan’s voice and perspective are all her own. If you, like me, are a fan of these dark Irish stories, definitely give this a try. I’d recommend audio, but you decide! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024 by Susie | Novel Visits
    • not for me
This is a hard book to review, it is the story of a family in crisis, when the young daughter is suspected of killing a younger child. It is told in multiple viewpoints, including the journalist who is trying to exploit the tragedy for his personal gain. The style was kind of dry and continued that way throughout the book and the ending brought some growth, some resolution but it also was flatter than I would prefer. Wasn't sure what the point of the book was. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024 by mehva
    • Extraordinary writing
4.5 stars The blurb for "Ordinary Human Failings" leads you to believe it's going to be a fiery tale of ambition, anger, and grief. While those do figure, the story is a quieter, more thoughtful one, an elegy written with gentle but surgical precision. I can't praise the writing enough—it's evocative but never showy—nor the complexity of the characters, several of whom stayed with me for days afterward. The meanders of the narrative also maintained my interest. When a book is this good, it can be difficult to review it in depth. So I'll simply say, Read it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024 by SC

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